Vickers MBT Mark 3

Vickers MBT Mk. 3
Vickers MBT Mk. 3 of Kenya Army in 2021
TypeMain battle tank
Place of originUnited Kingdom
Service history
In service1977–present (Kenya)
1981–present (Nigeria)
WarsSomali Civil War[1]
Boko Haram insurgency
Operation Linda Nchi
Production history
Unit cost$1.6 million[2]
No. built226
Specifications
Mass39.5–40 t (38.9–39.4 long tons; 43.5–44.1 short tons)
Length7.56 m (24 ft 10 in) (hull)
9.78 m (32 ft 1 in) (with gun forward)
Width3.24 m (10 ft 8 in)
Height2.44 m (8 ft 0 in)
Crew4 (commander, gunner, loader and driver)

Armourwelded and cast steel
Main
armament
105 mm L7A2 rifled gun (50 rounds)
Secondary
armament
7.62 mm FN MAG coaxial machine gun (2600 rounds)
12.7 mm ranging machine-gun (700 rounds)
EngineGM Detroit Diesel 12V-71T
720 hp (540 kW) at 2,500 rpm
Power/weight18 hp/t
TransmissionSelf-Changing Gears Ltd TN12V5 fully automatic gearbox
Suspensiontorsion bars
Ground clearance432 mm (17.0 in)
Fuel capacity1,000 L (220 imp gal; 264 US gal)
Operational
range
490 to 530 km (300 to 330 mi)
Maximum speed 50 km/h (31 mph)

The Vickers Main Battle Tank Mk. 3 is a main battle tank by Vickers, a development of the Vickers MBT, and introduced in 1975[3] for the export market. It was the last of the Vickers tanks to see sales in numbers abroad.

  1. ^ @Tom_Antonov (18 April 2015). "Kenyan army & AMISOM capture the port of Kuday #Somalia from #AlShabaab militants" (Tweet) – via Twitter.[better source needed]
  2. ^ "Vickers Mk.3". mainbattletanks.czweb.org (in Czech). Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  3. ^ Lüdeke, Alexander (2018). International Tank Developments from 1970. Pen and Sword Military. p. 128. ISBN 978-1473891418.